Young Entrepreneur with a Mission

Young Entrepreneur with a

How Maria Vasco ’20 plans to reduce plastic waste

By Vanessa Chatterley

aria Vasco’s ’20 passion for environmental advocacy and sustainability started during her freshman year.

After enrolling in an environmental studies course and learning about issues that plague the planet, Vasco took action. She switched majors from political science to environmental studies in sustainability, with the mission of tackling the one environmental issue about which she felt most strongly: plastic pollution.

And that’s how the idea for Uvida, Boston’s first zero-waste store, was born.

During her junior year, Vasco received the first-ever UMass Boston Entrepreneur Scholarship. In addition to honoring recipients with $5,000, it includes a mentorship with the scholarship’s founder, Dan Phillips, the founding director of UMass Boston’s Entrepreneurship Center and an advisor in the Venture Development Center.

With the guidance of Phillips, a longtime volunteer and supporter of UMass Boston, Vasco launched Uvida online in 2019 with only a few eco-friendly products. It has since exploded, rapidly evolving from online retail into a storefront located in Boston’s North End. Vasco now offers more than 200 plastic-free products catering to the average consumer’s daily life. In addition to offering toiletries, a variety of plants, pet products, and makeup, Vasco also recently opened a room where customers can refill their shampoo bottles.

UMass Boston magazine spoke to Vasco to learn about her inspiration for opening Uvida, how UMass Boston played a role in her entrepreneurial success, and her plans for the future.

Maria Vasco’s North End store offers a wide range of plastic-free products that customers can use in their daily lives.

What led you to taking the steps to open Uvida?

It was mainly when I got the scholarship because I always wanted to start the business, and I didn’t know how. But when I got the scholarship, I really felt like that was my green light. It was my first time letting other people know my idea for a zero-waste store in Boston, and they gave me the scholarship money to actually pursue it. I think that was really when I was like, “Okay, I think I’m actually going to do this because now I have $5,000 to do whatever I want with,” and that’s when I just dedicated that to buying more products to get going.

Where does the name “Uvida” come from?

Vida means “life” in Spanish, and I’m Latina; I was born in Colombia. I really like the word “life” because when you’re reducing the amount of plastic waste in the world, you’re contributing to life, so I kept the word and then I just translated it to Spanish. Then I added the “U” in front so people can know that it’s them contributing to life. to graduate—all of these obstacles—I could have just let that bring me down and stop me. But they gave me the sense of “You’re awesome” and “You should keep going.” Whether I wanted to start a business, or I wanted to be a lawyer, or if I wanted to be a doctor—that really didn’t matter. It’s more about how much they made me believe in myself.

How did your mentorship with Dan Phillips play a role in where you are today?

I was able to ask him questions about the business that I wanted to start. I asked him, “Do you think it’s a good idea? Do you think I could do it? What should be my first step? Should I start online? What are the steps I need to take to get to a store?” It was so helpful because he led me to the path that I wanted.

What was that transition from idea to execution like for you?

It was great. I started a website, and I was building a community of people who were into zero waste and are looking to try zero-waste products. When I wanted a storefront, I was looking for an area that’s accessible to everyone. We opened during a pandemic, so obviously people were shocked….

How did UMass Boston play a role in where you are today?

[UMass Boston staff and faculty] really made me believe in myself. As an undocumented woman of color trying What’s next for you?

I would love to grow a team now. I have the store, now I just need to grow a team of Uvida workers so we can continue to build the company. I would love to open a second location, whether that’s in Boston or New York. That’s just what I’m trying to do for the future.

What would you want other young entrepreneurs to know?

I would want them to know that they should pick something that they’re really passionate about because when things get difficult, that’s when you really need a passion. You really need to have something that you care about so you can make it through those obstacles and those challenges.